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Rich Hall is one of the most underrated humorists of our age. His humor is wry, dry, and witty in the original sense of the word. He also has a sure sense of the English language, as well as the American lifestyle. While working on the TV comedy series, Not Necessarily the News (1986-88), he began reading Sniglets, "words that should appear in dictionaries, but don't." The feature was so popular that he wrote a book of Sniglets that sold over 2 million copies. Several years later, the Washington Post announced a contest for the best of what are, in fact, Sniglets. Ever year people across the world now send in their examples of words that are not in dictionaries but should be. This page contains some examples of both.

1. Kidnapkinage—The act of purposefully taking more napkins than necessary at a fast-food restaurant. (Thank you David Tresch)
2. Nagivator—A spouse who sits beside the driver of a car and criticizes his or her driving rather than helping with the navigation. (Thank you Dr. Goodword)
3. Gription—Really excellent traction. (Thank you Paula Gray)

1. Electile Dysfunction—The inability to become aroused by any of the candidates in an election (especially in 2008).
2. Mouse Arrest— Forbidden the use of the computer.
3. Googlegänger— A person with your name who shows up when you google yourself. (American Dialect Society)
4. Kwanhanamas—Kwanza + Hanukkah + Christmas. Happy Kwanhanamas! is more personal while still as unidentifying as Happy Holidays! (American Dialect Society)
5. Earmarxist—A congressman or senator who adds earmarks (pork barrel items) to congressional bills. (American Dialect Society)
6. Quadriboobage—The appearance of having four bosoms caused by wearing a bra that is too small. (American Dialect Society)
7. Wrap-rage— Furious frustration from trying to open a newly purchased factory-sealed item. (American Dialect Society)
8. (We need a few more. Do you know any? If so, please send them to us via the Contact Page.

1. Crackberry—For those addicted to their Blackberry this word works nicely.
2. Drainchild—Not all brainchildren work well so we need a word for a bright idea that drains resources without benefit.
3. Boomerangst—The anxiety of the baby boomers about their future as well as that of the government in providing for them are both wrapped up in this word which also leaves the impression that it is a problem that has returned to bite us.
4. Politicide— This word was added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) this year so is it still a sniglet? We learned this year that bribe-taking and philandery have become forms of politicide.
5. Politricks—This word, also added to the OED this year, is a good replacement for "political dirty tricks" of the Nixon years.
6. wingnut—We have left-wing nuts and right-wing nuts but what about extremists of both sides? Well, this word would work if we didn't already have extremist.
7. IMglish—We like this sniglet for the abbretiated language of instant messaging. IMing has already entered the language alongside IDing as an acronymic verb.
8. Keypal—So what do you call a pen pal if you never use a pen to write him (or her)? Well, if you use a keyboard, this one will work.
9. Moonbat—We really don't need another word for someone with bats in their belfry who bay at the moon but this one still has a nice ring about it.
10. Truthiness—This is actually a legitimate word to the extent truthy, like filmy, syrupy, would mean "like the truth", it could mean "similarity to the truth". We don't need it for Colbert's meaning, "gut feeling", however, since George Orwell's bellyfeel from Nineteen Eighty-Four covers any semantic space gut feeling doesn't. We only include it because of its media popularity.

More . . .

1. Antalixic (ant-uh-licks-ik) adj. Someone who always passes over the licorice jellybeans.
2. Aquadextrous (ak-wa-deks-trus) adj. Possessing the ability to turn the bathtub tap on and off with your toes.
3. Carperpetuation (kar-pur-pet-you-ay-shun) n. The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance.
4. Disconfect (dis-kon-fekt) v. To sterilize the piece of confection (lolly) you dropped on the floor by blowing on it, assuming this will somehow 'remove' all the germs.
5. Elbonics (el-bon-iks) n. The actions of two people maneuvering for one armrest in a movie theater.
6. Frust (frust) n. The small line of debris that refuses to be swept onto the dust pan and keeps backing a person across the room until he finally decides to give up and sweep it under the rug.
7. Lactomangulation (lak-to-man-gyu-lay-shun) n. Manhandling the "open here" spout on a milk container so badly that one has to resort to the 'illegal' side.
8. Peppier (pep-yay) n. The waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if they want fresh ground pepper.
9. Phonesia (fo-knee-zhuh) n. The affliction of dialing a phone number and forgetting whom you were calling just as they answer.
10. Pupkus (pup-kus) n. The moist residue left on a window after a dog presses its nose to it.
11. Sloovers (slew-vuhrz n. pl. Remnants of soap too small to use, but too big to throw away.
12. Telecrastination (tel-e-kras-tuh-nay-shun) n. The act of always letting the phone ring at least twice before you pick it up, even when you're only six inches away.

• zybetical (zai-bed-i-kul) Laurence Urdall, former editor of the Random House Dictionary, coined this one to refer to reverse alphabetical order: Z-Y-X . . . , as to stand in zybetical order.

1. Nugatory (nuh-uh-tor-ee) Where you go when you have done nothing of relevance, good or bad.
2. Batrachomyomasochist (buh-track-oh-my-oh-ma-suh-kissed) Someone foolish enough to try to say batrachomyomachy.
3. appelicious (ap-pul-li-shus) Tasting as delicious as an apple.
4. prophesayer (prah-fi-say-er) Someone who forsees whether a soothsayer's phrophesies will be true.
5. superficious (sue-per-fish-us) Superficially officious or superficial and officious.
6. bartractual (bar-track-chew-ul) Pertaining to a contract that involves bartering.
7. neosapiens (knee-oh-say-pee-ins) A life form very nearly human whether on Star Trek or not.
8. obstropulous (ab-strop-you-lus) Seeming to be helpful while really making things more difficult.
9. hypocracy (hi-pock-ruh-see) A political system controlled by.

1. The Washington Post's Style Invitational asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and then supply a new definition. Here are the winners:
2. Arachnoleptic fit n. The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
3. Beelzebug n. Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
4. Bozone n.: The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
5. Cashtration n. The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
6. Caterpallor n. The colour you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.
7. Decafalon n. The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
8. Foreploy n. Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
9. Giraffiti: n. Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
10. Glibido n. All talk and no action.
11. Hipatitis: n. Terminal coolness.
12. Ignoranus n. A person who's both stupid and an a--hole.
13. Inoculatte: n. To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
14. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
15. Karmageddon n. It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
16. Osteopornosis: n. A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
17. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
18. Sarchasm: n. The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

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